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Vacancy - A term applied to an office or position devoid of an incumbent, as a vacant benefice, bishopric, or parishValens, Flavius - Emperor of the East (328-378)Valentine, Saint - At least three different Saint Valentines, all of them martyrs, are mentioned in the early martyrologies under date of 14 FebruaryValentine, Pope - Reigned briefly in A.D. 827Valentinian I - Emperor of the West (321-375)Valentinus and Valentinians - The best known and most influential of the Gnostic heretics, born on the coast of EgyptValerian - Biography of the Roman ruler, focusing on his treatment of ChristiansValidation of Marriage - May be effected by a simple renewal of consent when its nullity arises only from a defective consent in one or both partiesValla, Lorenzo - Article by U. Benigni on the teachings of this Italian humanistVallumbrosan Order - Founded by St. John Gualbert, son of the noble Florentine Gualbert VisdominiVan Beethoven, Ludwig - Composer (1770-1827)Van Cleef, Jan - Flemish painter (1646-1716)Vandals - A Germanic people belonging to the family of East GermansVan Eyck, Hubert and Jan - Brothers, Flemish illuminators and painters, founders of the school of Bruges and consequently of all the schools of painting in the North of EuropeVasari, Giorgio - Painter, architect, and writer (1511-1574)Vase, Altar - Vase to hold flowers for the decoration of the altarVatican, The - Detailed history and informationVatican as a Scientific Institution, The - Details of scientific activity in the VaticanVatican Council - The twentieth and up to 1912, the last ecumenical council, opened on 8 December, 1869, and adjourned on 20 October, 1870Vatican Observatory - Gregory XIII ordered a tower to be erected in a convenient part of the Vatican buildings, and to be fitted out with the greatest and best instruments of the timeVaticanus, Codex - A quarto volume written in uncial letters of the fourth centuryVedas - Sacred books of ancient IndiaVeil, Humeral - The name given to a cloth of rectangular shape about 8 feet long and 18 inches wideVeil, Religious - The bride of Christ, as the vestal virgins had done, adopted the veil, which thus symbolized not so much the purity as the inviolable fidelity to Christ which was to be reverenced in herVelazquez, Diego Rodriguez de Silva y - Artist's biography by Louis GilletVenezuela - A republic formed out of the provinces which, under Spanish rule, constituted the captaincy general of the same nameVeni Creator Spiritus - The most famous of hymns, assigned in the Roman Breviary to Vespers (I and II) and Terce of Pentecost and throughout the octaveVeni Sancte Spiritus Et Emitte Coelitus - Sung at Mass from Whitsunday until the following Saturday inclusively, and comprises ten stanzasVenice - The capital of a province in Northern Italy, is formed of a group of 117 small islands joined together by 378 bridges mostly built of stoneVerbiest, Ferdinand - Jesuit missionary and astronomer (1623-1688)Verdi, Giuseppe - Italian composer (1813-1901)Verne, Jules - Novelist (1828-1905)Veronica, Saint - Veronica is a name popularly given to one of the women who accompanied Christ to Calvary. 'Veronica' is an abbreviation of 'vera icon' (true image), and the woman now called Veronica is said to have offered a towel to Christ, on which he left the imprint of his faceVeronica Giuliani, Saint - Short biographical article on this Capuchin, who died in 1727Verrazano, Giovanni da - Navigator, died 1527Verrocchio, Andrea del - Artist (1435-1488)Versions of the Bible - Article on versions of the Bible in the original languages and in translation. Grouped by sourceVersions of the Bible, Coptic - At least parts of Scripture were translated into all four dialects of the Coptic language, though there is some debate about which of the Coptic versions is oldestVesalius, Andreas - The reorganizer of the study of anatomyVespasian - Biography of the Roman EmperorVespers - Historical article on Evening Prayer, one of the two principal canonical hoursVespers, Music of - Applies especially to the cathedral Office, i.e., the Liturgy of the Hours in a parish settingVespers, Sicilian - The traditional name given to the insurrection which broke out at Palermo on Easter Tuesday, 31 March, 1282, against the domination of Charles of AnjouVespucci, Amerigo - Biographical article on the Italian navigator (1451-1512)Vessels, Altar - The chalice is the cup in which the wine and water of the Eucharistic Sacrifice is containedVestibule (in Architecture) - A hall projecting in front of the facade of a church, found from the fifth century both in the East and the WestVestments - According to the rules of the Church or from ecclesiastical usage, are to be worn by the clergy in performing the ceremonies of the services of the ChurchVeto, The Royal - Lord Grenville presented a petition for the Catholics in the Lords, and, in moving for a committee, proposed an effective veto for the king on the appointment of bishopsVexilla Regis Prodeunt - Written by Venantius FortunatusVia Crucis - Historical background on this devotionVia Dolorosa - Historical background on this devotionVianney, Saint Jean-Baptiste-Marie - The Cure of Ars, d. 1869Viaticum - Among the ancient Greeks the custom prevailed of giving a supper to those setting out on a journeyVicar - In canon law, the representative of a person clothed with ordinary ecclesiastical jurisdictionVicar Apostolic - In the early ages of the Church, the popes committed to some residentiary bishops the duty of watching over ecclesiastical matters in a certain regionVicar of Christ - A title of the pope implying his supreme and universal primacy, both of honour and of jurisdiction, over the Church of ChristVicar-General - The highest official of a diocese after the ordinaryVice - Regarded as a habit inclining one to sinVictimae Paschali Laudes Immolent Christiani - First stanza of the Easter sequenceVictor I, Pope Saint - Article on the late second-century pope, involved in the Quartodeciman controversyVictor II, Pope - Reigned 1055-57Victor III, Pope Blessed - Benedictine monk, peacemaker, abbot of Monte Cassino, elected to the papacy in 1086, d. 1087Victor IV - Cardinal Gregory Conti, elected in opposition to Innocent IIVienna - The capital of Austria-Hungary, the residence of the emperor, and the seat of a Latin archbishopricVienne, Council of - Convened 1311-1312, dealing mainly with the Knights TemplarVigilius, Pope - Reigned 537-55Vikings - The Scandinavians who, in the ninth and tenth centuries, first ravaged the coasts of Western Europe and its islands and then turned from raiding into settlers.Vincent, Saint - Essay on the deacon, a native of Saragossa, martyred in 304Vincent de Paul, Saint - Biography of the French priest, founder of the Congregation of the Mission, who died in 1660Vincent de Paul, Sisters of Charity of Saint - A congregation of women with simple vows, founded in 1633 and devoted to corporal and spiritual works of mercyVincent de Paul, Sisters of Charity of Saint (New York) - Motherhouse at Mt. St. Vincent-on Hudson, New York; not to be confused with the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul founded earlierVincent de Paul, Society of Saint - International association of Catholic laymen engaging in personal service of the poorVincent Ferrer, Saint - Biography of this Spanish-born Dominican missionary, who died in 1419Vincent of Lérins, Saint - Essay on the fifth-century monk and ecclesiastical writerVincentians - A congregation of secular priests with religious vows founded by St. Vincent de PaulVinci, Leonardo di Ser Piero da - Florentine painter, sculptor, architect, engineer and scholar (1452-1519)Violence - The stimulus or moving cause must come from without; no one can do violence to himselfVirgin Birth of Christ - The dogma which teaches that the Blessed Mother of Jesus Christ was a virgin before, during, and after the conception and birth of her Divine SonVirgin Mary, The - The Blessed Virgin Mary is the mother of Jesus Christ, the mother of GodVirgin Mary, Name of - The Hebrew form of her name is MiryamVirgin Mary, Devotion to the - Devotion to Our Blessed Lady in its ultimate analysis must be regarded as a practical application of the doctrine of the Communion of SaintsVirginity - Morally, virginity signifies the reverence for bodily integrity which is suggested by a virtuous motiveVirtue - According to its etymology the word virtue (Latin virtus) signifies manliness or courageVirtue, Heroic - St. Augustine first applied the pagan title of hero to the Christian martyrsVisigoths - One of the two principal branches of the GothsVisions - The article deals not with natural but with supernatural visions, that is, visions due to the direct intervention of a power superior to manVisit ad Limina - The obligation incumbent on certain members of the hierarchy of visiting, the 'thresholds of the Apostles', Sts. Peter and Paul, and of presenting themselves before the pope to give an account of the state of their diocesesVisitation, Canonical - The act of an ecclesiastical superior who in the discharge of his office visits persons or places with a view of maintaining faith and discipline, and of correcting abuses by the application of proper remediesVisitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Article on the event and the feastVisitation Order - The nuns of the Visitation of Mary, called also Filles de Sainte-Marie, Visitandines, and Salesian Sisters, were founded in 1610Visitors Apostolic - Officials whom canonists commonly class with papal legatesVisits to the Blessed Sacrament - A devotional practice of relatively modern development, honoring the Real Presence of ChristVitalian, Pope Saint - He tried to win over the Monothelites who then held sway in Constantinople, and was the reigning pope at the time of the Synod of Whitby. He died in 672Vitellius, Lucius - Proclaimed Roman Emperor by the soldiers at Cologne during the civil war of A.D. 69; d. at Rome, 21 Dec., 69Vivarini - A family of Italian painters. Alvise, Antonio, and Bartolommeo (Bartolommeo da Murano)Vives, Juan Luis - Article on his life and works, by Paul LejayVivisection - Defined literally the word vivisection signifies the dissection of living creaturesVladimir the Great, Saint - Biography of the grandson of St. Olga. Grand Duke of Kiev and All Russia, first ruler of Russia to convert to Christianity, d. 1015Vocation, Ecclesiastical and Religious - The special gift of those who, in the Church of God, follow with a pure intention the ecclesiastical profession of the evangelical counselsVolta, Alessandro - Physicist (1745-1827)Volterra, Daniele da - Italian painter (1509-1566)Voluntarism - In the modern metaphysical sense is a theory which explains the universe as emanating ultimately from some form of willVoluntary - Wilful, proceeding from the willVoluntary Association, Right of - Any group of individuals freely united for the pursuit of a common endVöluspá - A wise womanVotive Mass - A Mass offered for a votum, a special intentionVotive Offerings - The general name given to those things vowed or dedicated to God, or a saint, and in consequence looked upon as set apart by this act of consecrationVotive Offices - One not entered in the general calendar, but adopted with a view to satisfying a special devotionVows - A promise made to GodVulgate, Revision of - In the spring of 1907 the public press announced that Pius X had determined to begin preparations for a critical revision of the Latin Bible